I often think the work that we do is like a forensic archeologist painstakingly chipping away at ancient bones to uncover a story much great than that that first presents itself. Getting to the nut, the kernel, the truth of an idea or issue in a literary text is like peeling back the layers to reveal a mosaic of understanding and appreciation.

This year we continue to uncover and discover meaning with the addition of three new productions to our VCE program. Following the success of Medea in theatres we offer Don Taylor’s version of The Women of Troy by Euripides in a contemporary exploration of the horrific consequences the violence of war has on those left behind. Extinction by Hannie Rayson asks whether conservation and can live along side the demands of big business, we compare and contrast the effects of racial inequality and discriminations with Black Digger & The Longest Memory and Photograph 51joins The Penelopiad in a compelling comparative presentation.

Due to popular demand we have scheduled our much loved in-schools productions of Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth and Australian Poetry in Term 1 for a limited season. Get in early to book the session that suits your timetable and we’ll see you in 2019.

If you are attending the 2018 VATE State Conference at Deakin University, Burwood drop in to our workshop, 2.35 – 3.45pm on Friday 30th November.

Tragedy – creating connections and building resilience

Exposing students to the not-so-happy endings of tragic drama is an opportunity for greater understanding of and acceptance of the broader world.

Complete Works Theatre Company's Artistic Director, Andrew Blackman with ensemble members present key scenes from Euripides’, The Women of Troy, to demonstrate how students can develop empathy and resilience by engaging with tragedy in performance.

Complete Works Theatre CompanyUnit 4: Reading and comparing texts

What's on tour?

The Crucible & Year of Wonders

You can count your lucky stars if you've booked a performance of The Crucible & Year of Wonders, the six week season has sold out! The tour commenced on Tuesday 17 July and runs until Friday 24 August.

Welcoming some familiar faces back to the tour; John Shearman as John Proctor, Briony Farrell as Abigail Williams and Johnathan Peck as Judge Danforth.

We are very happy to welcome Sarah Clarke as Elizabeth Proctor and Tom Davies as Rev. Parris to our cast this year. Sarah is a new member and Tom, a veteran of the Shakespeare and poetry tour of 2015. Welcome!

John Shearman

Briony Farrell

Johnathan Peck

Sarah Clarke

Tom Davies

Bombshells & The Penelopiad

Our Bombshells & The Penelopiad tour hits the road on Monday 30 July. Two experienced and delightful performers, Aurora Kurth and Leah Filley, will have you in stitches and in tears! There are a handful of sessions still available, be sure to call us in the office if you'd like to make a booking.

Leah Filley

Aurora Kurth

If you have a small group studying any of the above texts and would like to attend a performance, please don't hesitate to contact the office to express your interest. We have regional and metro schools who'd love to partner up!

Rehearsals commence for our Shakespeare team!

We are thrilled to introduce our Shakespeare team for 2018, three very talented Victorian College of the Arts graduates; Jack, Naomi and James!

The team started rehearsals with an intensive text workshop, lead by CWTC's Artistic Director, Andrew Blackman. Our actors translated every word and sentence into modern English to further their understanding of Macbeth and Romeo & Juliet. No time for this in the classroom? Check out No Fear Shakespeare, it's a great resource with the original text and the modernised text side by side!

Macbeth, Romeo & Julietand Great Southern Land(Poetry) tour in-schools throughout Victoria in Term 2, 3 and 4. If you'd like more information about these shows or would like to make a booking please contact our office.

Jack Dixon-Gunn

Jack is a fresh face to us at Complete Works, and we're thrilled to have him on board as Romeo. He is no stranger to Shakespeare's work having just honed his skills in a recent tour of Twelfth Night.

Naomi Klemens

Set to tread the boards as Juliet, in Romeo and Juliet, and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth. Naomi's chameleon-like qualities will serve her well as she brings to life two of Shakespeare's leading ladies!

James Biasetto

James' passion and versatility will serve him well as he brings to life Macbeth and a myriad of roles in Romeo & Juliet. James and the team will be hitting the road in Term 2.

A note from our Artistic Director

While working on our VCE comparative study a line from The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood had particular resonance for me, ‘Every once and a while the fog parts and we get a glimpse of the living. It’s like rubbing the glass on a dirty window making a space to look through.’ It stuck me that this is exactly what we are doing when we read a text, compare or contrast ideas and issues, or track the wars of the inner world by playing them out on stage.

Live theatre enables students to experience the physical embodiment of viewpoints and perspectives played out in a shared space. Our aim is for students see more than the reflection of our shared experience in the plays and programs on offer, but by turning mirrors into windows we encourage them extend their learning and let their imagination take flight.

Complete Works’ 2018 season establishes a theatrical pathway for the study of English syllabus texts through early secondary to the all-important VCE years. For students struggling to make meaningful connections or teachers wanting to reinforce existing knowledge there is a program right for you.